Method for the manufacture of wire-glass.



PATENTED JAN. 7, 1908.

F. SHUM-AN. METHOD FOR THE MANUFACTURE OF WIRE GLASS.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 14. 1902.

1471/85]Z I I WW FRANK SHUMAN, OF PHILADELPHIA, l lCh NSYllVANlA, ASSIGNOR TO 'lilli C(lN'IlNlfUlS GLASS PRESS NEW JERSEY.

COMPANY, Oh Pllllixtl)l llilllla, PENNSYLVANIA, A l'URlOlllllUN ()l" METHOD FOR THE MANUFACTURE OF WIRE-GLASS.

its 875,857.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Jail. 7, 1908.

Application filed June 14. 1902. Serial No. 1111748.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, FRANK Snunan, oi" the city and county of Phihulelphia, State of Pennsylvania, have invented an lmpmvcm'ent in Methods for the illenulaeture ol- Wire-Glass, of which the following is a speciiicntion.

My invention has reference lo an improved method for the manufacture oi wire glass :1 nd consists oi certain improvements whirh are fully set forth in the following spccilieation and shown in the accompanying drawings which form a part thereol.

The object of my invention is to provide a method or process which she l pijisitively cause the meshed wire to be tod into the molten glass in such manner the t the gloss shell properly inelose it on top and bottom with the result of its definite location between the two surfaces so as to make a perfect article, namely, one in which the meshed wire is all covered end unilormb' positioned within the glz'iss'sheot.

More speriiici'illy, my improved process consists in rolling a mass of glass upon a table, during this process introducing a meshed wire layer under the forward part of the ball of glass and supporting it temporarily in an advaneing nuini'ier clean oi the iabie but unobstructed from below, and causing the molten glass to llow by gravity through the mesh and below the wire prior to being rolled.

My invention consists further in advancing the point ol' support oi the meshed wire more slowly than the advance oi the rolling act ion to compensate for the gradual consumplion ol the glass and its less extension in advanro ol' the point of rolling pressure. i

As a. suitable 11 ans l'orcar our out mv for rolling the glass into a sheet and combine therewith an adjustable guide res-ling upon the surface of the table and over which the meshed wire layer is guided, the said guide being advanced commensuratel with the speed of the advancing mass of molten glass. The meshed wire layer is thus supported slightly above the surface of the table so as to permit the molten glass to l'rcelv llow through the meshes to the under side and 1 layerisincorporated into the glass sheet and ma be located substantially equidistant from each surface, thereby n'odueing a more l erl'eet, article than has heretofore been cus iomary.

M invention will be better understood by reference to the drawings, in which:

Figure l is a longitudinal sectional elevalion ot a wire glass making machine adapted l'or ca ri ing my impioved process into opera-- tion; and Fig. 2 is an end elevntionof the said machine A is a metal table or bed plate, and is made smooth on its upper surface.

ii is the smoolh metal roller and runs upon guide strips (1 C resting upon the mile A. The shaft oi this roller is also provided with genre E which mesh with racks on the sides of the table for positively feeding the roller during its rotation.- A hand wheel F may be emploved to rotate the roller B and reuse it to he l ed forward under the control of the gears bland rnclcs l The strips (l regulate the spac between the roller B and the table A and hence the thickness of the glass plate.

l is a shoe resting upon tho'table. and moved forward by the roller and consists oi two side plates connected by rods. The function of the shoe is to conline the body of glass against lo I cral spreading beyond the desired width.

lies-ting; upon the snrlaoo of the table A is a llnl plate (i which extends laterally to the side plates of the shoe 1.. This plate G a proximatcly is of a thickness equal to the thickness oi the glass to be rolled but its thickness ma be varied as desired. It provided with an upright flange, ll which is slotted adjacent. to the plate G at I for the full width to be occupied by the meshed Wire invention, 1 provide a smooth table and. roll layer K and through which slot said wire layer is fed as clearly indicated in the drawings. The guide (i ill for the meshed wire may be fed forward in any suitable-manner, a hand rod -l for this purpose; being shown. While the guide (l ll. may be moved to ward at approxinnucly the same speed as the travel of the roller, it is not desirable. that it should move quite so rapidly because it is preferable that the molten glass M shall extend from the roller ll forward to or verv slight l ii' at all over the rear end of the plate (l as shown. i ndcr these oomlitions'the glass will be allowed to llow through the molten glass and guide the wire under said I claim as new and desire to secure by Letmeshes formed by the wire so as to fill the space L beyondthe end of the plate G and beneath the ire and as the roller and guide plate G are moved forward the meshed wire layer will iloat upon the glass which has thus passed belowit and be covered by the rest of the mass until it is rolled forward, as will be rpiadily understood by those familiar with t e art. The thickness of the glass between the wire and table will be dependent upon the thickness of the guide plate G and. the thickness of the stripsO C which regulate the actual thickness of the finished sheet of glass.

If the thickness of the plate G is excessive relatively to the thickness of the strips C, the wire will tend to lie nearer the top sur-l face of the finished glass and vice versa. The upright or flange H acts as a guide through its slot to insure the meshed wire layer being held down to the surface of the plate G,

The particular shape of the guide G H may be varied so long as it performs the functions herein set out namely, sustain the wire mesh at a definite distance above the table against the forward portion of the glass so as to temporarily hold it clear of the 1 table and allow the glass to flow through its meshes. In the operation of the apparatus it is not necessary that the wire shal. touch the table surface except perhaps at the beginning and ending of the operation of malt- 111 the complete sheet of wire glass have shown an apparatus such as is exoellent'ly adapted for carrying into eliect my improved method, but the details of the apparatus may be varied may be found expedient for the more perfect operation of my invention.

Having now described my invention what ters Patent, is:

1. The herein described process for making glass consisting in rolling down a mass of glass into a sheet and during this operation feeding directly into the forward part of the mass of glass near its bottom a meshed wire layer, positively supporting the meshed wire la er in a substantially horizontal plane slightly above the bottom of the sheet of glass and. immediately adjacent to thel ol" the meshed wire layer at a spec s res 5'? front ofthe' mass of glass so that as the molten glass is moved forward" it may flow to the under side through the meshes without depressing the meshed wire and directly into position to form the under side of the of glass, and advancing the place of support independent of the advancing speed of the rolling down device as the rolling operation proceeds, whereby the meshed wire is always supported immediately adjacent to 1.111: front ortion of the rnolten glass.

2; The herein described process for making wire glass consisting in rolling down a mass of glass into a sheet and during the operation feeding into the forward part of the mass of glass near its bottom a meshed wire layer, supporting the meshed wire layer slightly above the support upon which the glass is rolled so that the molten glass may flow to the under side through the meshes, and advancing the place of support of the meshed wire layer as the rolling operation proceeds but at a gradually decreasing-speed relatively to the spced of the rolling oper ation.

The herein described process for making a sheet of wire glass, which consists in placinga mass of molten glass upon the table, rolling the mass forward into a sheet, feeding into the mass of glass at its forward part a meshed wire layer. during the rolling oper 'ation, supporting the meshed Wire layer immediately adjacent to the molten glass and at the advancing place where it is being successively highly heated by the glass so that the molten glass may flow to the under side through the meshes and the meshed wire layer supported against sagging,- and advancing the place of support by handin dependently of the advance of therolling means to maintain the place of support always adjacent to the glass irrespective of the variations of the distance of the front part of said glass from the rolling means.

lntestimony of which invention, I have hereunto set my hand.

FRANK SHUMAN.

"Witnesses M. HUNTER, it. M. KELLY.

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